Your rights as a carer

Find out about your rights at work, taking time off and protection against discrimination.

Discrimination

If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, you are protected under the Equality Act 2010 against discrimination.

This law applies to discrimination and harassment if they happen in your workplace. You’ll also be protect when you:

shop for goods
ask for services
get services
use facilities like public transport

Check if you've been discriminated against

Check on Citizens Advice to see if you've experienced discrimination

Get advice if you've experienced discrimination

If you think you've been discriminated against or harassed because of your duties as a carer, you can speak to Citizens Advice Sutton.

They'll be able to talk to you about your rights and what you can do next.

If you think you’re being discriminated against at work because of your caring responsibilities, contact the following for free, confidential employment advice:

Support at work

If you have a job and care for someone, you can talk to your employer to see what support they can offer.

You don’t have to tell your employer about your caring responsibilities, but you might find that if you do tell them, they can help you balance work and caring.

Find out what support and policies your employer has in place by checking your:

employment contract
staff handbook
workplace intranet

You could also speak to your manager, your HR department or a trade union representative.

Flexible working

As a carer you can request flexible working arrangements from your employer. Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs, for example having flexible start and finish times, or working from home.

Learn more about flexible working on GOV.UK

Parental leave

If you've worked for the same employer for 12 months and you’re responsible for a child aged under 18, you're entitled to 18 weeks’ leave per child.

This time off is usually unpaid.

Learn more about parental leave on GOV.UK

Time off work in emergencies

You have the right to take a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off work to deal with an emergency or an unforeseen matter involving someone you care for. This could be a partner, child, parent, or someone living with you as part of your family.